Chapter 214: Placing a Piece

Chapter 214: Placing a Piece

The heavy rain continued to fall.

Inside the dilapidated temple, everyone present, except for Su Mo's group, was stunned into silence.

The old man's martial prowess was incredibly formidable, something that could only be truly appreciated after actually sparring with him.

The group of burly men, five to a group, had two wielding single sabers. In a single move, they were nearly killed.

The leader's Sun and Moon Rings were somewhat ingenious, but the old man's iron jaws were far from ordinary. Although he had taken a bit of a loss, it was something that could be entirely disregarded.

The leader barely avoided being killed by the old man’s palm strike.

Only one man remained unscathed, but the concealed weapon he held had not been fired once.

Just now, Wei Ziyi had made the first move, leaving them all in awe, as if she were a divine being.

Even such a formidable old man could only defend against Wei Ziyi's sword momentum, unable to mount any resistance. In the end, he managed to grab hold of Wei Ziyi's long sword only by exchanging blows.

But now… with Su Mo's move, the old man's struggles seemed like child's play in comparison.

Su Mo effortlessly tore through the old man’s Corpse Hanging Hand, which was supposed to be impervious to weapons, and grabbed the old man's neck, sending his inner force into his body, sealing his meridians.

The entire sequence was executed in one fluid motion, like an adult handling a child.

No one could help but gasp in shock.

However, at this moment, Su Mo suddenly looked towards the door:

"How long do you intend to keep watching?"

At these words, the few individuals were once again startled.

There were still others?

Already on edge, they instinctively turned to look outside.

Through the rain curtain, they heard the sound of fabric cutting through the wind. In an instant, three or four people had appeared at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

They were all dressed in rain cloaks and conical hats.

However, from beneath the cloaks, one could see the wet purple outer garments.

The faces of the burly men changed immediately, recognizing the group's origins.

The leader raised his head, revealing a composed, middle-aged face. A powerful presence mixed with his dignity as he met Su Mo's gaze, nodding slightly.

"You’re impossible to fool."

As he spoke, he walked in, glancing at the old man in Su Mo's grasp. The old man's face was ashen, clearly indicating that this was the person who had been pursuing him.

Su Mo raised his eyebrows:

"What's going on?"

"This man infiltrated the sect to scout out our defenses. When we caught him, he fought back, and I hit him with the Purple Sun Divine Palm."

"But he practices the martial arts of the Evil Gluttons, which caught us off guard, allowing him to escape when we let our defenses down for a moment.

Fortunately, our Purple Sun Sect's internal energy is a natural counter to all kinds of poisons. Though the Corpse Hanging Hand is formidable, it couldn’t penetrate my decades-old cultivation of pure yang internal energy.

I led the disciples in hot pursuit... but who would’ve thought he’d end up right in your lap?"

As he spoke, he casually removed his straw hat and cloak, revealing his true appearance.

Upon seeing this, Wei Ziyi clasped her hands and bowed. 'Wei Ziyi of the Cold Moon Palace, greetings to Elder Duan.'

The newcomer was none other than Duan Song!

At this moment, he looked dignified and extraordinary, fully embodying the image of a high-ranking expert.

However, Su Mo had already seen through this man's true nature and couldn't help but feel that this pose was a bit silly...

Duan Song glanced at Wei Ziyi, surprised. 'Wei Ziyi... Granddaughter of Wei Ruhan? Are you the disciple of Nine-Ying?'

'Yes, elder.'

Wei Ziyi nodded.

Duan Song smiled. 'I didn't expect you've grown up so fast. Back then, Su Tianyang wrote me a letter, asking me to persuade Nine-Ying to take on a disciple.

'I declined because I knew she wouldn't listen to me.

'I told him to write a letter himself, confident that Nine-Ying wouldn't refuse...

'Sure enough, it wasn't long before news spread that the third palace master had taken in a young infant as a disciple. It’s been so long since then.'

For a moment, he was lost in memories of the past.

Su Mo and Wei Ziyi exchanged a glance, both taken aback.

So, it turned out that Wei Ziyi's ability to join the Cold Moon Palace was facilitated by Su Tianyang?

Su Mo also recalled Wei Ziyi mentioning that Wei Ruhan had to ask for help to get her into the Cold Moon Palace... Only to realize that the person she asked was his own father?

At that moment, he felt quite speechless. The jianghu can be as vast as the ocean or as small as a pond.

Yet, at the same time, the jianghu can feel small and pitifully limited. Many things are intertwined like the roots of a tree.

Looking back, it’s clear that Yang Yizhi, Su Tianyang, and the Fallen Phoenix Alliance have been intertwined for years. Their connections run deep.

At this point, Duan Song shook his head and looked at Su Mo, smiling. 'You finally came.

'I thought you should have arrived at the Purple Sun Sect long ago.

'Everyone was on pins and needles, eager to see what kind of man Su Tianyang’s son had become.

'But you kept us waiting for months.

'Turns out, during that time, you were busy delivering a shipment to the Cold Moon Palace.'"

"It's been quite tiring for us to wait at the gate all this time. What a coincidence that we ran into each other here."

Su Mo smiled. "Wei, the Great Alliance Leader, couldn't ignore the delivery to Cold Moon Palace. I run a security agency, so why would I turn away business?"

"That's true."

Duan Song nodded and glanced at the old man in Su Mo's grip. "Alright, alright, stop holding onto him. Just paralyze him and set him aside."

Su Mo agreed and threw the old man to the side.

With his hands now free, Su Mo greeted the others.

Another round of lively chatter ensued.

Duan Song's followers were top disciples of the Purple Sun Sect and were very friendly toward Su Mo, not treating him as an outsider at all.

During the casual conversation, the four burly men nearby became somewhat timid.

When they first saw Su Mo and his group, they knew something was unusual.

But they didn’t expect them to be so highly distinguished!

One was a disciple of Cold Moon Palace, and the other had a special relationship with the Purple Sun Sect.

By this time, the leader among them realized that if Su Mo truly wanted to save the person, his subordinate wouldn't have died.

By not intervening, it was because the earlier actions of that person deserved death.

However, Su Mo's methods weren’t overly aggressive, and even though he understood the reason, he couldn’t complain.

After all, how could he blame the other party for not saving someone?

There was no bond between them, just a gap. Saving you is a kindness; not saving you is reasonable. What’s there to complain about? What right do you have to blame anyone?

At that moment, he led his other subordinates to collect the previous person's corpse.

Unexpectedly, Su Mo spoke up:

"If I were you, I wouldn’t go near that body."

"Ah?"

The leader's heart skipped a beat as he quickly turned to Su Mo and respectfully said, "Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

Su Mo was a bit speechless. "The martial arts of the Evil Gluttons have a corpse toxin. If you get contaminated, we may not have a cure. If you want to collect the body, it's better to think of another way."

"I see."

The leader nodded gratefully.

Su Mo waved his hand and glanced at the father and daughter by the wall.

After what happened, the two were visibly shaken.

And knowing that Duan Song and the others were from the Purple Sun Sect, they didn’t dare to speak.

In this region, the Purple Sun Sect was the ultimate authority.

The disciples of the Purple Sun Sect are held in high esteem by the common folk, far above the ordinary.

Su Mo smiled and said, "Brother, there's no need to worry. Rest assured, we've already taken care of it."

This middle-aged man, who had a certain amount of gallantry, nodded upon hearing this: "There's indeed nothing to fear now. Thank you, young brother."

"There's no need for such formalities; it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time."

Su Mo smiled but did not insist on introducing this man to Duan Song and the others.

He merely chatted a bit to ease the man's nervousness.

Meanwhile, Wei Ziyi was holding the little girl's hand, whispering something secretly in her ear, which made the girl's eyes sparkle with excitement, nodding repeatedly.

Then the two of them ran off mysteriously to the back of the main hall, whispering to each other.

Su Mo, however, engaged in idle conversation with Duan Song and the others about the old man's situation.

Duan Song sighed and said:

"The evil gluttons have caused widespread suffering. We thought that after the battle years ago, none of them would remain in the world, but it turns out they are like a centipede—still wriggling even after death.

"Especially in recent times, I have a feeling that this sect is showing signs of resurgence. We cannot afford to let our guard down."

Su Mo nodded: "However, there is one thing that has been on my mind."

"Oh?"

Duan Song glanced at Su Mo: "Tell me more."

"The man's words earlier made me feel a bit strange."

Su Mo smiled: "When Miss Wei performed the Flying Star Sword Technique, this person saw through her foundation and said, 'In the past, those who wiped out the evil gluttons included people from your Cold Moon Palace. Helping them eat one of you can be considered a small act of revenge for them.'"

"Though these words were spoken during our confrontation, they left a deep impression on me."

"What?"

Duan Song was taken aback: "So, this person is not from the evil gluttons?"

He suddenly looked at the old man: "Speak, who are you really? Why have you mastered the martial arts of the evil gluttons?"

Although the old man's meridians were sealed by Su Mo's internal energy, preventing him from moving, he could still speak.

Hearing this, he merely smiled: "I am your grandfather."

Duan Song's mouth twitched, clearly feeling awkward, and he couldn't help but look at Su Mo:

"How about we hang him from the beam and beat him for three hours first?"

"..."

Su Mo blinked: "Senior... with all due respect, do you have any more sophisticated methods of interrogation?"

Duan Song shook his head decisively: "No."

Seeing Su Mo's helpless expression, he had to explain:

"Our Purple Sun Sect follows the path of righteousness and propriety. When it comes to torturing people... we are truly not skilled in that area."

Su Mo sighed, "That depends on how it's used."

"Hmm?"

Duan Song's eyes lit up. "Could it be that you have a method?"

Su Mo smiled. "With pure yang internal energy, strike their Yongquan point. It will be so hot and unbearable that it feels like being scorched and scratched from within, far more intense than any ordinary method."

Duan Song was startled, then slammed his thigh. "Exactly! No wonder they say that Su Tianyang's son has cunning—ah, ahem... wisdom deeply ingrained in his bones."

Su Mo: "..."

You just gave it away!

But he gently shook his head. "Still, this guy's moves are pretty obvious and laughable. Even without any tricks, I can tell... he's working for the Night Monarch."

"You!"

The old man's face went pale.

Duan Song whipped his head around.

Su Mo had a sudden realization. "It really is the case."

"No!"

The old man blurted out, then immediately regretted it.

By denying it now, he would only confirm to Su Mo that he really was working for the Night Monarch.

Duan Song whistled in surprise. "You were just bluffing him, huh?"

"What else?"

Su Mo smiled. "But this isn’t just a guess—it’s based on what I’ve observed."

"Tell me!"

Duan Song asked eagerly.

Su Mo thought for a moment, then recounted the events he had experienced, detailing them step by step.

The evil gluttons had infiltrated the southwest, and Evernight Valley was trying to control the river routes.

There were people who looked like they were from the cult, disguised as Wusheng Hall members, secretly plotting against the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

To Su Mo, these seemingly unrelated events started to connect like pieces of a puzzle.

Su Mo wasn’t sure if Evernight Valley was behind it all.

Especially since he couldn’t pinpoint which branch of the East City cult that person from the evil gluttons belonged to.

So, that’s why he said what he did—a bluff to see if he could confirm the information.

As a result, they actually managed to get a reaction through the bluff.

This way, some of the earlier events were now confirmed.

The attacks along the river were orchestrated by Evernight Valley, and the involvement of the evil gluttons in the southwest was also planned by Evernight Valley.

This incident also had a faint connection to the secret collaboration of that 'bigwig' from Wusheng Hall, who had sent those people to infiltrate the Fallen Phoenix Alliance’s territory with ill intentions.

Su Mo could now basically conclude that all of this was the work of Ye Jun.

However, what exactly Ye Jun intended to do was indeed quite intriguing.

On one hand, he was playing a game of wits with the seven major sects in Tianqu City.

On the other hand, he had his eyes set on the southwest and the Eastern Wilderness.

This guy was clearly playing a much bigger game.

Of course, Su Mo couldn’t spill all the details to Duan Song. He didn’t mention Wusheng Hall’s moves against the Fallen Phoenix Alliance.

These details hadn't been confirmed yet, and revealing them could create biased assumptions, which would be disadvantageous for the future.

After Su Mo finished speaking, Duan Song paused for a moment, deep in thought, then approached the old man and grabbed his foot.

The old man was startled, “What are you going to do?”

“Just answer my questions. If you don’t… you’ll see just how ruthless the Purple Sun Sect can be!”

Song Song’s expression was solemn, but his tone was quite fierce.

“……”

The old man was momentarily speechless, and just as he was gathering his words, Duan Song yanked off his boot.

The next moment, a foul stench hit the air.

Duan Song’s face turned pale on the spot, and he instinctively stepped back two or three paces, looking at Su Mo:

“Is this supposed to torture him or me?”

“How can you even do that?”

Su Mo thought for a moment and said, “I generally don’t.”

“……Then what do you do?”

Duan Song was stunned.

Su Mo just smiled and approached the old man.

Everyone present, except for Fu Hanyuan, was unsure of what he was about to do.

But Fu Hanyuan, even before Su Mo made a move, was already wincing in anticipation.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Hu Sandao looked at Fu Hanyuan in surprise.

Just as Fu Hanyuan was about to answer, another voice asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

It was the scar-faced stranger.

This guy was obsessed with Hu Sandao, mimicking his every move daily.

Fu Hanyuan was so thrown off by the two quick questions that he almost forgot how to respond.

Just as he was about to brush it off, a piercing scream cut through the air.

It was the old man, who had just been struck on his Yutang point by Su Mo.

The old man was completely caught off guard by the strike.

He knew Su Mo’s approach meant no good, but he hadn’t expected it to hurt this much.

He let out a scream and collapsed, his face turning pale as his body convulsed in agony.

Su Mo turned back with a grin and said to Duan Song, "This is my usual method."

"..."

Duan Song was taken aback. "I thought you'd cover your nose and mouth... What kind of move is that?"

"Elder..."

"Call me Uncle."

Duan Song interrupted him. "Your father was my senior brother. You calling me Uncle doesn’t diminish you."

"..."

"Uncle Duan, have you ever heard of the Painful Mantra?"

"The Red Cloud demon monk!?"

Duan Song blurted out, then quickly shook his head. "No, no, it's Master Red Cloud! You... you know this martial art?"

"That's right."

Su Mo nodded and, without bothering with the old man, casually sat back down.

"Let him suffer for a while. Speaking of which, Master Red Cloud was indeed a great monk. I had the honor of meeting him. Upon our first meeting, he taught me the techniques from the Painful Mantra."

"Such a thing happened?"

Duan Song was momentarily filled with envy, but after a sniff, looking at the old man's unbearable feet, he asked,

"So, you've never actually used that method yourself?"

"With the Painful Mantra, why would I need to use that method?"

"..."

Duan Song was left speechless.

Su Mo wondered, "Uncle Duan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just suddenly thought of a saying that fits perfectly."

"What saying?" "Like father, like son; the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"You really live up to being Su Tianyang's son!"

Duan Song looked at Su Mo with a mix of relief and unease, his expression complex.

Su Mo was speechless when Wei Ziyi and the little girl appeared from behind the main hall.

The little girl looked like she'd had a great time and was beaming with happiness.

Noticing the conversation had paused, Wei Ziyi spoke up:

"Senior Duan, I'm here to deliver a message from my master.

"I thought I'd have to go all the way to the Purple Sun Sect to deliver this, but I didn't expect to run into you on the way."

"A message?"

Duan Song froze, his ears twitching, and asked in a disbelieving tone:

"For me?!"